Our world is in serious trouble. A new deadly disease has been discovered. Zika virus as it is called spreads through mosquito bites. Among the symptoms are fever, rash, joint pains and conjunctivitis (red eye) which is popularly referred to as Apollo in this clime. The first alert on this disease was issued by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) when the disease first broke out in Brazil. Today, the disease is spreading with the first transmission through sexual intercourse discovered in the US. But the worrisome side to this disease is its effect on pregnant women
Pregnant women infected with Zika virus could come up with a condition known as microcephaly, this is when the woman gives birth to a baby with a small head. Babies head grows as the brain grows and if, as a result of any disease the baby’ s brain development is retarded, the head itself would not grow. This leads to a lot of complications which impairs learning, causes seizure, developmental delay such as speech, sitting, standing, walking, hearing and vision problems, among others. Presently, not much is known about the virus, but one thing is clear, there is no vaccine or medicine to treat Zika, yet. The only advisory presently is for pregnant women to AVOID mosquito bites.
I have taken time to detail the implications of the effect of being infected with the virus in order to underscore the problem our world is again assailed with.
In the last 25 years, the world has been assailed with different diseases. In 1983, scientist came up with HIV/AIDS, till date, no known cure has been found for this deadly disease. Though much information is available now unlike before, a cure is still elusive. What is clear is that being infected with the HIV/AIDS virus is no longer a death sentence.
That is not the only disease in the last three to four decades, In 1976, the Ebola virus was discovered by the Ebola river in the Democratic Republic of Congo, since then, it has been wrecking a whole lot of havoc in Africa. Like all viruses, it is transmitted through body fluids. We know the level of panic and deaths the virus caused when the Liberian national landed on our shores with the virus.
Though, a cure is said to have been discovered, the drug is still on the testing stage and is not yet available in commercial quantity.
Recently, it was the turn of Lassa Fever. Nigeria’s contribution to the world of diseases, ravaging the Africa. It was discovered much earlier than the other viruses in 1969 in a town called Lassa in Borno state. Two missionary nurses at the time had died of a mysterious hemorrhagic fever. Presently, Lassa fever is currently spreading fast across the Nigerian landscape.
In the past few years, other deadlier diseases have assumed epidemic proportion. In recent time, more deaths have been recorded through cancer than before.
Kidney related diseases have also increased. What then does this tell us about our world? It shows that there is something very, very wrong. As inhabitants of this space that God has created for us, it behoves us to nurture it. It is our responsibility to preserve and not destroy it. And this is not in reference to the environment alone. Our body which has been described as the temple of God should be cared for the way God’s abode (the church) is cared for.
Reasons for proliferation of diseases have been given as change in our lifestyle. We live in an epicurean age, with large consumption of processed food items. Most of which hurt the body system and eventually lead to some of these diseases. You only need to move around the society to see the rate at which people especially the young, both boys and girls, consume alcoholic spirit, an hitherto unknown practice before. It is thus no surprise that there are proliferation of diseases.
Can we continue like this? Definitely no. We thus need to re-examine our lifestyle, our society. The culture of moderation and not excess should be adopted. It is only when we do this and apply such moderation, strictly, that we can reduce and eventually bring an end to all the problems of our world. For this to be achieved, it takes commitment, determination and strict adherence to a lifestyle of moderation.
It is a lifestyle of moderation that will not make an individual put in position of trust to steal the collective patrimony or divert money meant for developmental purposes that would benefit all , into his own personal pocket.
Nigeria’s present history is a testimony, money meant for developmental purposes stolen by people entrusted with such monies. Our leaders have turned to daylight robbers who steal our money without batting an eyelid. They steal money that they would never ever finish spending in their lifetime. Money that would not help them even in sickness. Same sickness caused by a lifestyle of excessive consumption.
I was listening to a man of God recently on TV, he noted that the land had been desecrated. He cited instances of kidnapping done by young men desirous of making quick money. According to him, they kidnap old people, traditional rulers, beat them or even kill them. They no longer respect old age or the elderly. These are abominations to the land, he said.
I cannot but agree with him. There is no longer any control in the land. Respect for elders has been consigned into the waste basket. What most people involved in all these do not realize is that, a curse, even not voiced, is on them. It is karma. It is the way the world is shaped, reward for that evil deed cometh. It grinds slowly but surely.